National Carers Week runs from 11 – 17 October 2020 with the aim to raise awareness of unpaid carers and their caring role in Australia.
Everyone at SASI are so appreciative of all the fantastic work our carers provide for our clients. We want them to know their efforts are appreciated all year round, and this week we are taking the opportunity to really highlight their incredible support and to celebrate their efforts.
Unpaid carers make a huge contribution to our nation, with an incredible 2.65 million providing unpaid care and support to family members and friends1. This equates to an estimated 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care that will be provided in 20202! Quite astoundingly, if this care was provided by a paid workforce, it is estimated that it would cost almost $78 billion, or just under $1.5 billion per week3.
During this current crisis, unpaid carers have played a major role in flattening the curve of COVID-19 infections, by sheltering at home and keeping vulnerable Australians safe, of which we are forever grateful.
Carers Australia are asking carers to visit their website at www.carersweek.com.au to tell Australia why they care and why they have a caring role. All submissions will be logged and listed on the site which will help Carers Australia paint an authentic picture of caring in Australia and demonstrate community support.
Data and graphic courtesy of Carers Australia
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
2 Deloitte Access Economics (2020) The Economic Value of Informal Care in Australia 2020
3 Deloitte Access Economics (2020) The Economic Value of Informal Care in Australia 2020
